


Ubi Major

by Pan (Lucky_Cassandra)



Category: Linked Universe - Fandom, The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: Blood and Injury, Canon-Typical Violence, Injury
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:47:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27780997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lucky_Cassandra/pseuds/Pan
Summary: An unexpected explosion divides Twilight, Warriors and Wind from the rest of the group. Injured, they have to get themselves out.
Comments: 52
Kudos: 116





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A multi-chapter drabble that has been in my head too long, but to get it out of my head I have to work around my writer's block.  
> Have the first chapter while I work through that.

Consciousness returned to him slowly and painfully. The first thing Twilight was aware of was intense pain in his shoulder and side. When he opened his eyes, he found himself lying half submerged by a pile of rubble in a room made of roughly hewn stone. The only light came from a lone torch, burning low from its hook on a wall. The room was narrow, dark, and dust was still settling.

Suddenly, everything came back to him.

_The temple, the monsters, the fire arrow, the explosive barrels._

They had been exploring an abandoned and ancient looking temple, suspecting the existence of dungeons below the ruins, when they had been attacked by a pack of monsters. Lizalfos, bulblins, a couple of moblins. They were outnumbered and had been struggling. He remembered Four being hit and falling, and Wild moving to help him, pulling out a fire arrow. A shouted warning from Warriors, who was standing next to him, something about explosive barrels, then a deafening sound and a ball of fire.

Twilight struggled to push the rubble off himself and shakily got to his feet. Where were the others? Warriors had been standing very close to him, the two of them fighting almost back to back, trying to reach Wind who had been cornered by two lizalfos. He found Warriors not far from where he had fallen, blood on his face and a long jagged cut above his eyebrow. He was stirring and moaning.

“Captain?” Twi called, grasping his friend’s shoulder and shaking gently. “Don’t try to get up yet. Can you hear me? Can you open your eyes?”

Warriors turned his head and blinked owlishly at the Ordonian. “What… what happened?” he asked weakly.

“A cave-in, I think. Caused by an explosion. Do you remember we were fighting in the ruins of a temple?”

The Captain’s eyes slid shut again as he brought a hand up to his forehead. “Oh. Yeah. Explosive barrels. Behind a pile of rock. Didn’t see them ‘till ‘twas too late.” he grimaced when his hand touched his brow and came away slick with blood.

“You have a cut on your forehead. From what I can tell, we fell to the lower level. You must have hit your head during the fall. Hold on, let me look for something to heal you.”

Twilight turned to rummage through his bag for potions or fairies, and the action sent a fresh stinging wave of pain through his side. Biting back the grunt of pain that nearly escaped him, he checked the folds of his tunic to find a slash in it, a matching one on both his chainmail and skin. 

Right. The sword of a lizalfos. The chainmail had done its job of slowing the blade down, so it could have been worse. It wasn't very deep, he was fine for now. He went back to searching through his bag, and exhaled in relief when he found a red potion.

“I found a potion, but we’re going to have to pull you up a little,” the Ordonian told his friend. Warriors seemed to be having trouble opening his eyes again and gave a small nod, face scrunched in pain. Slowly, Twilight slipped his left arm under the Captain’s shoulders and gently lifted him a few inches. He tried reaching with his right hand for the potion, but his shoulder screamed in protest. 

_Just great,_ he thought, _I must have fallen on it._

Twilight found he could still move his arm, though with some difficulty and a great deal of pain. It was fine, this could also wait. He finally managed to uncork the bottle and help Warriors drink. 

“Wait,” the Captain mumbled, pulling a hand up to push the bottle away from his lips after a couple of sips. “Is this the only one you have? I have none left, we shouldn’t use it all.”

The Ordonian couldn’t argue with that. “It’s all I got. We can wait a minute and see if that’s enough to get you back on your feet, but if the fall gave you a concussion you might need a few more sips. Rest for a minute, I’ll take a look around.”

Twilight moved to stand, but Warriors grasped his wrist, eyes still cloudy and dazed. “The Sailor. He was close to us.”

Cold dread clutched at Twi’s insides. He remembered, they had almost reached Wind when the explosion occurred. The three of them were the closest to the barrels. He pulled out his old oil lantern from his pack. Half full, he noted, it would last a little while. A bit frantically, he started searching the piles of rubble strewn around the room, calling the sailor’s name. A flash of blue in the muted grays of the rocks caught his attention. Wind was lying on his side in a corner, the remains of two lizalfos around him.

The Ordonian’s breath caught in his throat as he gently moved the sailor’s hair away from his face and checked for a pulse. Upon finding one, he exhaled in relief and carefully turned the younger boy on his back to begin checking him over. He found no major injuries except a few scrapes and bruises, but he did find a long bump on the back of his head and what was unmistakably a broken leg. 

“Wars, I found him. He’s unconscious, broken leg and probably concussed,” Twi called out. 

He heard shuffling from the Captain’s side of the room, and a low curse. It seemed the potion Warriors had taken had not been enough to allow him to stand quite yet. After setting his leg, the Ordonian lifted Wind enough to start pouring the potion down his throat, drop by drop. Slowly, the color returned to the sailor’s face. His eyelids fluttered. He tried to speak, but only managed a weak moan.

“Take it easy, sailor, you hit your head pretty hard, and we don’t have much potion left. I need to save one more sip for the Captain over there.”

Wind turned his head to where Warriors was still struggling to sit up, but his eyes remained unfocused.

“’M fine, give't all to him,” the soldier called from across the room, words still slurried.

“Wars, you are not fine. You can’t even stand. The potion is not enough to get both of you back on your feet, and I can’t carry you both,” Twi reasoned. “Don’t worry, we will make sure the Sailor is stable before moving him.”

After a few more sips of potion, Wind managed to focus his gaze on the Ordonian. “Twi?” he asked weakly. 

“Right here, Sailor. Don’t try to move, you are definitely not healed enough for that.” The older hero checked over the younger one, finding only signs of a concussion on the mend.

“M’head hurts. An m’leg.”

“I know, I know. I bound your leg how I could, there’s not much else I can do now except take you out of here,” Twilight said gently. “You can sleep, you won’t feel the pain as much. I’ll wake you every once in a while, though.”

“That’s fine,” Wind mumbled, and then his eyes slipped shut again.

Twi manouvered Wind on his back with some difficulty, trying to breathe steadily through the stabs of pain that every move sent through his shoulder and side. He then used his various belts to strap the younger hero in position, both to leave his hands free in case they had to fight and because he didn’t think he could hold the Sailor up with his right arm.

 _Goddesses, but the little Sailor was small and light._ Barely older than Colin. And he already had faced more than one gruesome quest.

A few more minutes of searching revealed it was only the three of them in the rubble. The Ordonian made his way back to where Warriors had managed to sit up and had proceeded to try to stand, with no success. Twilight again explained to his stubborn friend why he _had_ to take the last sip of potion, a few more drops would not heal Wind but would be enough to allow Warriors to get them out of here faster. With much reluctance, the soldier finally complied.

When the Captain managed to stand, though a bit shakily and looking dazed, they explored their surroundings. It seemed only a small portion of the floor had given in, right around the corner the explosive barrels were stored in, but the wall had crumbled along with it, sealing them in the lower level. They definitely wouldn't be able to climb out the way they fell, so they set out to find another exit.

***

Warriors was thankful that nothing had attacked them yet. The task of putting one foot after the other and following the Ranch hand's lead was taking up most of his concentration. The longer they walked, though, the better he felt, though his head still hurt viciously. After a while, he could even take in their surroundings a little better through the darkness. It took him an embarrassingly long time to notice that the little light they had came from a lantern hanging on Twilight's belt.

"Can you make that a little brighter? It's really dim in here," he said. 

The Ordonian shook his head. "I turned it as low as it will go on purpose, I don't have much oil left, and we don't know how long we'll be in here."

"We passed a few torches on the walls, maybe we can use one of those," Warriors suggested.

Another shake of the head from his companion. "I tried. They don't come off the wall."

The Captain winced, realizing just how much he had missed in his concussed haze. "I'm sorry. I was really out of it."

Twilight gave him a tired smile. "I'm just glad you seem to be doing better now, I was getting a bit worried. I'm sorry we couldn't stay put until you were better. How's your head?"

"Marginally better. How is the Sailor?"

"He's snoring in my ear, so I guess not too bad. Want to wake him a second to check on him?"

"Probably a good idea," the Captain said as he moved closer. 

It took a few tries, but they managed to wake Wind, and found him somewhat coherent. They decided it was safe for him to keep sleeping.

Warriors suddenly noticed how Twilight's breathing was heavier than normal. His face was tense and looked pale, but that might just have been their situation and the ghostly light of the lantern.

"Are you alright?" the Captain asked, raising a hand to the farmer's shoulder. Twilight's suppressed wince was answer enough. "What…" Warriors drew back his hand as if scalded, and his eyes travelled down his friend's form, finding blood on his tunic. " _Twi._ Why didn't you say anything?"

Instead of an answer, the soldier heard a noise behind him.

_"Look out!_

Twilight pushed Warriors roughly to a side and raised his sword. The clang of blade on blade sounded in the narrow dungeon. The Captain drew his own weapon and turned, finding two heavily armoured figures with long jagged claymores. 

One of the figures moved towards him. Out of the corner of his eye, Warriors saw the Ordonian shift so that his back, and therefore Wind, was positioned between them and the wall. The soldier adjusted his position accordingly, forcing the armoured figure to move away from the Sailor. 

The Captain studied his opponent for a second, looking for weak points in the armour. A couple of precise jabs confirmed his suspicions, and whole pieces of the armour fell off, clattering to the floor. He was then forced to dodge an incoming and surprisingly fast swipe. He pulled out his shield and used it to bash into his opponent, causing the creature to stumble back. Warriors didn't waste the opening, finishing the monster off.

He turned to the Ordonian to find he had disposed of the other knight, and was currently breathing hard, clutching his side. 

Overriding Twilight's protests that he was fine and that they had to press on to get Wind out, Warriors forced his friend to take his tunic off and cleaned and bandaged the wound. The cut was mercifully small and neat, but deeper than the Captain would have liked. The Ordonian's undershirt was stained a rusty red.

"Dammit, Twi, why didn't you say something? We could have at least bandaged it sooner."

"We shouldn't have wasted time to do it even now. The Sailor needs help, the sooner the better," Twilight answered through clenched teeth.

"Speaking of, we better check on him."

Waking Wind was even harder than the previous time. He finally managed to open his eyes, but it was obvious he had trouble focusing.

"Little Sailor?" Warriors called softly. Wind moaned something intelligible, then he mumbled "if you're 'ere, who's at the helm?"

Warriors and Twilight exchanged a worried glance. "We fell in a dungeon, remember?" the Captain said.

"A storm's coming," the Sailor slurred. "We need t'get away from 'ere." His eyes slipped shut and he passed out again.

In the spectral light of the lantern, the Ordonian seemed to get impossibly paler. "He's getting worse. We need to hurry out of here."

Warriors felt a cold vice constrict his chest. "Agreed. But I am carrying him now, or you'll bleed through your bandages."

They set to work, a new sense of urgency spurring them on.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am just spewing random words at this point.
> 
> Have some Warriors.

The dark stone corridors of the dungeon were a lot more extensive and winding than they had suspected from examining the structure outside. Twilight and Warriors, with the still unresponsive Wind on his back, had been walking for what felt like hours. The Captain was nauseous, his head throbbing with every step, but he knew his Ordonian friend was faring little better. Twilight had offered to carry Wind again and again, but Warriors had seen the large dark bruising on his friend's shoulder while bandaging his still bleeding wound, even though the ranch hand had tried to hide it, and it was obvious his whole arm was painful to move. Carrying another person was _not_ what he needed. 

So the Captain tried to keep his discomfort to himself, and concentrated on his surroundings as much as he could. They moved as quickly as they dared, swords in hand, peering intently into the darkness and trying to remain silent, hoping to hear any approaching danger. The lack of their usual chatting and banter, which they normally managed even in the most dangerous and dire situations, made the darkness and the dusty silence seem more oppressive. Twilight was walking behind Warriors, to better cover the Sailor in case of an attack, so the lantern was currently dangling on the Captain’s belt. The light was wavering and flickering more with each passing second, weaker and weaker, promising to give out soon.

Warriors turned to look at the Ordonian. They exchanged a resigned and determined glance as the flame sputtered one last time and went out completely. 

In the precise instant the inky blackness enveloped them, heavy footsteps sounded in the hallway to their left. Through the gloom, the Captain could just make out shapes and the glint of what little light there was on blades. Warriors felt Twilight move so the two of them were nearly back to back, their injured friend between them. The unmistakable swishing of blades through the air told them the attack had begun.

Even in the darkness, Warriors could tell it was three ‘blins of some kind, armed with long, jagged blades. They were strong but clumsy, and the Captain managed to dodge and parry most hits, retaliating quickly whenever he felt an opening. 

A sudden kick to his sternum had him flying back against Twilight, the three Links falling in a tangle of limbs.

Warriors struggled to breathe and heard the clang of sword on sword. The Ordonian had luckily managed to extricate his sword arm just in time to block the incoming blades, and rolled to the side, using his momentum to get back on his feet. After more confused sounds of fighting and two dying screeches, the Captain registered Twilight's face in the gloom above him. 

"Are you ok?" the ranch hand asked, panting.

"Fine," the Captain wheezed, "just winded. Gimme a minute. Are you all right? The Sailor?"

Slowly, Warriors managed to catch his breath and shakily got to his feet, waving away the Ordonian’s proffered hand. They checked on Wind, but found his condition unchanged. As their eyes adjusted to the dark, they noticed a faint light coming from behind a bend in the corridor in front of them.

"That looks like natural daylight," Twilight said.

"True. We don't have much of a choice, anyway. Let's go."

As they carefully made their way down the hallway, the light seemed to increase. They soon found themselves in a larger hall, the remains of a collapsed staircase originally leading up to a small platform and finally to a larger landing. Daylight seemed to come from the corridor starting past the higher landing. Of what had probably originally been a wide stone staircase, only the small platform and the steps leading to it remained. The rest had been reduced by time and other abuse to a pile of rocks and rubble.

"That looks like a way out," the Captain observed.

Twilight nodded. "But getting there will take some climbing, I don’t see anything a hookshot will latch on to. Do you think you can manage with the Sailor on your back? Do you want me to carry him?"

"With that shoulder? Worry about getting yourself out," Warriors answered. “I still haven’t figured why none of us ever carry a rope, me included.”

The Ordonian chuckled. “After this, I might get one.”

They cautiously climbed up the crumbling staircase and reached the first platform without incident.

“Now for the hard bit,” the Captain said as he rolled his shoulders and adjusted his gauntlets. “I might need you to guide me from below.”

The stone of the wall was rough, broken and cracked enough that hand and foot holds were relatively easy to find, but not all were equally wide, evenly spaced or sturdy. Twilight directed him best he could in the scarce light, but soon Warriors’ arms were shaking, his shoulders aching, the dead weight of the little Sailor on his back enough to drag him down. His left hand nearly slipped, and the fraction of a second he felt himself falling back caused his stomach to twist painfully in apprehension. He clenched his teeth, grasped the stone more tightly and willed his muscles to hold just a few minutes longer. He was almost at the landing, then he could take a small break while helping Twi up. He wasn’t sure the Ordonian was going to manage to climb _at all_ , with how bad his shoulder had looked, but Warriors could use his hookshot to help him up, once he was on higher ground.

He heard a whooshing sound behind him he knew all too well, quickly followed by a dull _thunk_ as an arrow hit the stone wall just beside his left hand.

_Damn._ An attack, _now of all times._

“Keep going, I’ll cover you, but I’ll have to keep them away from the wall, if they have arrows,” Twilight yelled as he turned to peer into the gloom below. “Take Wind away from here.” With that, he jumped off the platform down into the darkness.

"Twi, _no!_ "

The muffled sound of the Ordonian’s steps gave way to faraway sounds of fighting. Grunts, clangs of blades on blades and screeches. The sounds seemed to be moving farther away, as if Twilight was leading the monsters away from them. For a long, panicked moment, Warriors was frozen by fear and indecision. His shaking and aching muscles told him he couldn’t quickly climb back down without risking a fall, but he was sickened by the idea of leaving Twilight to fight alone. At the same time, the Sailor’s quiet, shallow breathing in his ear reminded him that he had another far more helpless comrade to take care of. 

He was ready to scream in frustration, but he knew he had no choice. He climbed up the last few feet and dragged himself up on the landing. He considered leaving Wind here and climbing back down to Twilight, but if there were more monsters about, the Sailor would be as good as dead.

_Assuming he isn’t already._

He pushed down the intruding, terrifying thought and turned to run down the hallway, his mind finally made up. That didn’t mean he didn’t hate every step that took him farther away from his friend.

At the end of the hallway was a large stone doorway. The Captain wasted no time and ran out, finding himself bathed in sunlight so bright that it took him a few seconds to be able to reopen his eyes after the darkness of the dungeon. Warriors recognized none of his surroundings. He had emerged on the side of a wooded hill, the setting sun shining bright golden and fiery light right into the doorway to the dungeon behind him. This told him two things: one, they had been trapped in the dungeon several hours, as it had been mid morning when they had found the temple and two, he had emerged on the other side of the hill the temple was on. The temple had faced east, a tall hill behind it. He needed to get back to the temple if he hoped to find the rest of their group, and help for Wind.

He debated again with himself over going back for Twilight, leaving Wind hidden somewhere, but the coming dusk would just make it more dangerous for the sailor, even if he hadn't been unconscious due to a head injury which was getting worse instead of better. 

No, he _had_ to find help for Wind first, and trust the ranch hand to handle himself. His heart clenched painfully again. He hated this, he hated that he had to leave a comrade, a friend, _a brother_ behind, but he knew it was the best choice, the only choice. The Ordonian was strong and capable, the unconscious Sailor wouldn't stand a chance if left out here alone for long. And he would be coming back very soon, hopefully. He took off at run, following the small path he could see winding away along the hillside.

Warriors was ready to weep with relief when he ran into Time, Wild, Legend and Sky behind a bend in the path. They obviously had been searching around the area for a second entrance to the dungeon.

“How is Wind? Where is Twilight?” Time immediately asked.

“Twi stayed behind, we were attacked while I was climbing out with Wind on my back.The little Sailor needs help,” the soldier began, his voice tight. “He hit his head and has been getting worse instead of better, the rancher told me to get him out. One of you can take him back to camp, and…”

"What? You left without him?" 

Wild’s words, his harsh, incredulous tone, cut through Warriors like a sharp blade. 

"Champion, Wind needed help. I’m sure the Captain did what he had to,” Time interjected. Wild clenched his teeth but made no answer,

Time and Wild helped Warriors to extricate Wind from the belts that held the young boy strapped to the Captain’s back. 

“I have a blue potion,” the Skyloftian said, quickly extracting a vial from the bag on his hip. Time gently laid the Sailor on the ground with his head in Sky’s lap, the bottle already uncorked and ready to be brought to Wind’s lips. 

The bottle was about half empty when Wind finally stirred, his eyes fluttering open. Warriors found himself exhaling in relief, tension leaving his body so fast he felt weak and nearly fell over. 

“Ugh, m’head still hurts,” Wind moaned softly. He blinked hard a couple of times, before realizing where he was, and tried to sit up. Sky supported his shoulders when he almost fell over. “The explosion, the dungeon… We fell to the lower level… Twi and Wars were there...” Wind mumbled, a bit frantic. 

“Easy, Sailor, the Captain got you out,” Time said softly. “You need rest and healing, you hit your head pretty hard. Sky will take you back to camp.” He picked up Wind as easily as if he was a remlit and positioned him on the Skyloftian’s back. “Captain, you should go back to camp as well.”

"No, I am the one who knows the dungeon and Twilight’s last known position. I am coming.” Warriors hoped he didn’t sound as ill and tired and sore as he felt. His head throbbed dully, he was still nauseous, his chest felt tight and breathing was still hard after the ‘blin’s well-aimed kick, not to mention the soreness in his shoulders and arms from the climb, but he was not going to admit to any of that. He _was_ going to go back for his friend, no matter how Time and Sky insisted he shouldn’t.

“Wars….”

“Please, _we don’t have time for this!_ ” Warriors pleaded.

“Leave him, Old man, I know a lost case when I see one,” Legend said, snark coloring his tone as usual. “Bird boy, before you go, hand over what’s left of that potion to the Pretty boy.” 

“I’m fine. Let’s just go,” Warriors said, turning back the way he came.

“Like hell, you are. You can hardly stand up straight, you’re white as a sheet except where your face is coated in blood and don’t think we didn’t notice how you were stumbling just now. Drink it or I’ll carry you back to camp myself,” the pink-haired hero snapped. With a gentleness completely at odds with the venom in his voice, Legend took the bottle with the last few sips of potion from Sky’s extended hand and clutched Warriors’ arm. “Come on, Soldier boy, adrenaline can only do so much. Drink up and let's go get Goat boy.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been enhanced by the amazing beta powers of Okami_no_Fude.  
> If it seems better than the previous ones, you know why.

As Twilight jumped off the platform into the darkness below, sword already in hand, he wished for the fiftieth time that day he could shift to have better night vision and use his wolf instincts to take the monsters down. 

He had considered it since the first moment he, the Captain and the Sailor had found themselves in this dark and winding dungeon, but it wasn’t even the fact that his companions didn’t know of his shifting abilities that had stopped him. 

That wouldn’t have prevented him from doing everything in his power to get his friends out of here, consequences be damned.

What had stopped him was the knowledge that with an injured shoulder, he would not have been able to run or fight, assuming he was even able to walk. In Hylian form, he could at least still fight with his sword, and just had to give up on using his shield. 

Warriors had noticed his injured shoulder, of course. The soldier’s sharp eyes took in a lot more than he let on, most of the time, but Twilight hoped Wars hadn’t realized just how bad it was, because right now, he needed to Captain to _get out of here_ , and more importantly _get help for Wind_. Getting Wind to safety and healing was the most important thing, more important than anything else.

A group of dark shapes were moving towards their end of the hall. If one had managed to shoot an arrow at Warriors already, Twilight had no intention of letting them get any closer to the staircase. He dodged under a blade, just a small glint of metal alerting him to its movement, and swiped at the creature with this sword as he kept running, hoping to lure the monsters farther away. The sound of pursuit had never before been a welcome blessing, but now it was. He rounded a corner, then turned to attack. As soon as he saw movement in the dark and another glint of a blade, he jabbed as hard as he could, both hands on the hilt of his sword. He felt his blade connect with flesh, a monster's dying screech confirming his hit. A presence behind his back had him throw his left elbow back with his whole weight, and he felt a body tumble away from him with a grunt.

_When had another one come around the corner?_

But he was disoriented in the darkness. Before he could determine the position of his latest opponent, he felt a vicious kick connect with his side, right on his hastily bandaged wound. Twilight stumbled back a step, the agony coursing through his body so intense that he saw white spots in the throbbing darkness around him.

Instinct took over as he adjusted his weight on his feet and, without thinking, smoothly moved into a spin attack. He felt two bodies connect with his sword and two resounding screeches pierced the air, tapering back into silence as two heavy thuds sounded against the stone floor. 

The Ordonian dropped to one knee clutching his side, breathing heavily through the pain still radiating from his wound. He needed to get back to the staircase and drag himself out of here _fast_. He knew the Captain far too well to believe he wouldn't come back for a comrade.

The last attacks, however, had made Twilight lose all sense of direction, so he wasn't sure of which way the entrance hall of the dungeon was anymore. The weak daylight that had filtered around the corners earlier was apparently gone, which could mean one of two things: he had either ran farther than he thought in his haste to put distance between the monsters and his friends, or it was later than he reckoned and the sun had set, taking away even the little, distant light they had seen earlier. There were none of the rare, flickering torches they occasionally found hanging on the walls within sight, leaving him in near total darkness. His only choice at this point was to shift to his wolf form and use his nose. With a deep breath, the Ordonian braced himself for what was coming and reached for his pendant.

His shoulder and side _screamed_ in protest at the transformation, and as soon as his front limbs hit the floor, his right one gave out, sending him sprawling on the stone. Panting, he pushed himself back up, keeping his weight off his injured side as much as possible, and sniffed the air carefully. The first thing to hit his nose, aside from the dank smell of _dusty and rotting dungeon_ was the reek of monsters. Assorted 'blins and lizalfos, mostly, but also something he didn't identify and hoped he wouldn't meet. The smell of Warriors and Wind was faint, which told Twilight that, while leading the monsters away from the entrance, he had taken a corridor they hadn’t previously walked through. Limping heavily, he started making his way towards where he thought the smell of his friends got stronger.

After going through a couple of thankfully empty rooms and corridors, Twilight couldn't understand how he had gotten so turned around that he _still_ hadn't backtracked to a place where he and Warriors had been earlier. It would have been easier if he could have followed his own scent back the way he had come, but smelling his own trail was something he had never really managed, or needed to do. His best option was still to follow his friends’ scent, picking out their familiar notes of seasalt, oiled metal, soap and campfire through the stink and reek of monsters, mold, old blood, decay and filth.

Suddenly, another familiar smell hit his nostrils. This smell was particularly welcome in the darkness of the stone halls.

_Oil. Lamp oil._

He followed his nose to what apparently were tall, stoppered clay jars, wedged away in a corner. Twilight was about to transform back to fill up his lantern when… he remembered he had given it to the Captain so he wouldn't stumble while carrying the Sailor. And when the oil had run out, neither of them had given the lamp enough thought for it to be returned to its place in the Ordonian's bag. 

Twilight almost shifted back just so he could curse.

After a few quick seconds of deliberation, he decided the pain of transforming now wasn't worth collecting oil he wasn't sure he could use, so he lifted his nose in the air and let his wolf senses take over once again. A doorway at the far end of the chamber he was in smelled both better, like fresh water, forest, wind before the rain, and worse, like slimy corpses, overheated metal and burnt flesh, than the rest of the dungeon, but at least it was a change. Trusting his instincts, he made his slow, painful way forward.

The following chamber was large and smelled familiar, he could tell Warriors and Wind had been through this room earlier. The air at the end of the room smelled clean and fresh, and Twilight exhaled in relief. He had found the way out again. He limped as fast as his aching shoulder allowed towards the ruined staircase he knew was waiting in the dark.

Suddenly, the floor beneath his paws changed. From the roughly hewn stone of the rest of the dungeon, it turned smooth, almost slippery and icy cold. Twilight wondered if he would have noticed the difference if he had been in his Hylian form, and wearing boots. The surface he was walking on felt so polished and glassy he thought it would have reflected light, if there had been any to reflect. It felt just like… a mirror.

Just as his mind made that connection, the floor below his paws began to weakly glow a sickly green in the darkened chamber. Before he could react, the hard, polished surface seemed to turn liquid and the wolf fell through, tumbling down in the inky blackness below.

Twilight fell hard on his right side, aggravating his injuries further. It took him a few seconds to remember how to breathe through the pain. He tried to stand, but his shoulder gave out again below him. He tried to use his sense of smell to orient himself, but the only thing he could perceive was that _other_ smell that had pervaded all the chambers above, the smell of rotting corpses, decay, slime, overheated metal, and burning flesh, only down here it was overpowering. The darkness was so dense he didn’t think even his heightened wolf senses could help him any more, so he clenched his teeth and shifted back, biting down a scream of pain. He used his left arm to push himself upwards slowly, and finally managed to shakily get back on his feet.

Before he could take another step, a deafening roar shook the stone floor below him. The air itself quivered, and suddenly he could just about make out slivers of _something_ dancing around, the barest glint of metal occasionally twinkling in the darkness. Whooshing sounds of appendages moving fast through the air, heavy footsteps punctuated by the clicking of claws on stone, a disturbing gurgling coming from far above the Ordonian’s head, interrupted by snarls and spluttering and the occasional growl and roar.

Whatever it was, it was big, fast, probably wielded multiple sharp weapons and fought in total darkness. Twilight really didn’t like his odds in this fight. 

But he wasn’t going to go down without one. 

The Ordonian took a cautious step back, hand on the hilt of his weapon, but didn’t draw his sword. He took a deep, slow, centering breath, let his eyes slip shut and cocked his head to a side, listening carefully to the sounds of movement all around him. He waited, concentrating hard on his surroundings, letting the battle instincts he had honed so carefully during his quest take over.

A swishing sound closer than the others reached him, coupled with the movement of air on his face and hair. A _presence_ , a _target_.

_Now._

In one quick, fluid motion, he drew his sword and sliced diagonally through the air. The blade connected with something, and a dull thud, coupled with the screeching roar which again shook the chamber, told him he had severed one of the deadly appendages of the creature.

_One down._

He sidestepped and listened carefully, hoping for another opening, but apparently the monster was still attacking, even faster and more erratically than before. Twilight slipped his sword back in its sheath, still gripping the hilt tightly, and slowly kept moving sideways. He didn’t know how the monster perceived him, but on the off chance it relied on sound, the Hero didn’t want to give away any more than he absolutely had to. He waited patiently for another opening, falling in the same trance-like concentration as before.

_There._

A second appendage joined the first one on the stone floor of the chamber.

The enraged screech of the monster was so loud it was painful, but more importantly it covered the precious sounds Twilight was relying on to fight. The creature was apparently flailing and thrashing around, making it very difficult to hit it again. A flurry of movement to his left alerted him just in time of an incoming blow, and he barely managed to roll out of the way, sword still in hand. He had hardly gotten his feet under him before he was forced to raise his sword to block a vicious lunge. He managed to parry two more strikes before, in the middle of a dodge, he felt his foot catch on something where he was expecting only smooth floor.

_Oh shi-_

A sharp shove interrupted his thoughts as his back collided with the stone wall, winding him.

The pain hit a second later.

As agony radiated through his torso and abdomen, his mouth filled with blood and he gasped for breath, coughing wetly as he desperately tried to take in oxygen. The creature had… his thoughts turned hazy. Everything hurt. He became aware of a pressure against his stomach just as it was removed with a wet squelch, then he felt himself slip down the stone wall, still fighting for a breath that wouldn’t come.

He thought he heard the sound of breaking glass above him before his consciousness started slipping.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW Blood, injury, some swearing.
> 
> A _huge_ thanks to the best beta-reader on the planet, Okami_no_fude, for reaching new levels of awesomeness and helpfulness. My friend, stop being more and more wonderful each time or I will forever be taking advantage of your skills.

Warriors led the small group to the stone entrance very quickly, but to Time it seemed like it took forever. The Captain had filled them in on exactly what had happened, and the idea of the Pup having to fight alone in total darkness was harrowing.

They reached the top of a collapsed staircase. “Wait up,” Legend said as he looked around quickly, pulling a pair of gauntlets from his pack. “We need something to use our hookshots on.”

Through the rubble strewn around the ruined chamber, the Veteran selected a section of a collapsed column which had a sturdy-looking metal hook deeply embedded in the stone. He picked it up as if it weighed no more than a small barrel and moved it to the edge of the partially collapsed landing.

“Good idea.” Warriors swiftly pulled out his hookshot, latched on to the metal hook and started lowering himself through the darkness. Just as Time moved to follow, a deep, rumbling roar shook the stone walls around them. Legend cursed as he pulled a rather large lantern from his pouch. The light it projected was strong and bright, but still couldn't reach the stone floor of the darkened chamber below them.

The four heroes wasted no more time in making their way down into the vast entrance hall. Using the Veteran’s lantern, they began fervently exploring the chamber. 

“What’s that?” Wild asked, already running forward. 

Time could see what had caught the Champion’s attention. A portion of the floor seemed to be reflective, catching the light differently from the stone around it. He reached Wild just as the younger hero gave a strangled gasp.

Part of the floor seemed to be made of glass, and Time could see a second room below their feet. He wasn’t sure if this was some kind of window or a magic mirror, as the image he was seeing was surreal, greenish, flickering, and seemed to have sharp outlines but no shadows. 

Time’s breath caught as he processed what he was seeing.

Below them was a large monster, with an elongated but bulbous hairy body, scaly taloned feet with long claws, a large mouth full of small but sharp slimy teeth, a large, swivelling eye and what seemed like six spider-like arms, each one ending in a sharp and long metal spike. But the worst thing of all was that Twilight was down there, trapped in with that repulsive monster, hand on his sword, his stance low and cautious and _completely wrong_ to be preparing to attack his opponent.

Legend’s voice right beside him shook Time out of his shock. “What is he doing? He’s not even looking at that thing, and it seems ready to skewer him!”

Time understood what was happening just as the Captain spoke in a horrified whisper. “He can’t see. Look at his face and the angle of his head, he’s listening. He’s in the dark. This glass must be some sort of magical one-way mirror.”

For a second, panic and dread was all Time could feel. 

“What do we do? Do we break this window? Is this really below us?” Wild asked, already pulling out a glowing blue bomb from his slate.

“We can only hope it is,” Time answered, pulling himself together and taking a large hammer out of his bag. He saw Legend do the same while pulling his power gauntlets back on, as Warriors pulled out more explosives and set them down.

"Stand back!"

The explosion shook the chamber walls, but had no effect on the glass. WIld swore, dropping to his knees on the edge of the shiny surface and frantically going through his slate, looking for anything else that could help. Legend stepped forward hefting his hammer, but Time was faster. He quickly swung his own hammer down with all the strength he had. A sharp crack echoed around the chamber, and a star of thin, hairline fractures appeared on the polished surface.

“Nice! Now move over, Old man, let me try,” Legend said. 

Time took a step back and his eyes immediately found Twilight below them, still circling cautiously around the monster. It was obvious he couldn't see in the way he cautiously moved sideways, his head cocked to the side as if listening intently, his eyes clearly unfocused. Suddenly, Time saw the Pup relax his shoulders and closed his eyes, hand on the hilt of his sheathed sword, almost as if…

_No._ It couldn't be, Time himself had thought up that move, Twilight couldn't possibly…

Time's breath caught in his throat as one of the spikes on the end of the monster's arms jabbed towards Twilight. With a grace and precision Time had only ever imagined, his protegè unsheathed his sword and swiped clean through the monster's fast-approaching appendage in one fluid, swift movement.

Time’s mind reeled. That was a move he himself had envisioned and called the Mortal Draw, executed to a degree of perfection he himself had never managed. But how could Twilight… and in _total darkness…_

Time distantly heard Legend’s and Warriors’ joint efforts make more cracks in the glass, but he couldn’t take his eyes off the Pup in the chamber below. Twilight had resheathed his sword and was once again moving cautiously sideways, keeping his stance low, an intense look of concentration on his face. 

Thin milky cracks started obstructing Time's view, spreading as Legend's hammer fell again on the glass. He took a step back to where the glass was still intact, his eyes quickly finding Twilight again. The pup was still waiting for another opening, fingers tight around the hilt of his sword. An appendage shot out, aimed straight at Twilight's head. The Ordonian's reaction was so fast and elegant, no movement wasted, that Time would have missed it if he hadn't known it was coming. A second arm joined the first one on the stone tiles of the floor.

The monster's movements were getting faster and more erratic, jabbing with the spiked appendages in every direction. Time saw Twilight try to move away from the flailing limbs, his sword raised to block an attack, then another.

Horror seized Time as he realized the severed appendages were still moving _with purpose_ , twisting and writhing around, inching their way towards the Pup's feet. The glass separating mentor and protegè made it impossible to shout a warning, so he could only watch helplessly as one of the appendages curled around Twilight's foot and made him stumble.

Time could only stare transfixed with horror as, almost faster than the eye could follow, a spike impaled his Pup through the stomach, pinning him against the wall. As if underwater, Time distantly heard Wild scream.

_No._

The _need_ to reach Twilight _immediately_ overrode any conscious decision to move, as Time pulled his iron boots from his bag and had them on his feet before he realized what he was doing.

"Move over." His strained voice sounded foreign to his own ears. His feet found the largest crack they had managed so far and he stomped down _hard_.

The odious mirror finally shattered, its magic broken, the greenish glow gone, and Time plummeted down through the darkness.

***

Warriors had heard Wild scream and had seen the sudden urgency and near-panic in the Old man's eyes as he finally broke through the glass, but didn't know exactly what had gone wrong. He didn't wait for an explanation as he, the champion and the veteran jumped down through the shattered floor after Time. 

The lantern Legend was carrying was bright enough to illuminate the whole chamber, though dimly, light reverberating off the damp stone walls. The Veteran immediately pulled out his sword and moved towards the Old man, who was hacking with his own weapon at the spindly legs of the monster with a ferocity the Captain had never seen him use. Warriors had no time to wonder at that, because where was…

Then he saw Twilight and for a split second the Captain's mind went white with shock. The Ordonian was slumped against the wall, horribly still, and even in the gloom Warriors could see the large, dark stain on his tunic and the blood pooling below him on the stone floor. The soldier was running to his friend the next instant.

Wars and Wild reached Twilight at the same time, dropping to their knees on either side of him. The Champion's strangled gasp perfectly echoed the soldier's own horror at taking in the amount of blood flowing from a large puncture wound right below Twi's sternum. Wild shook his shoulder, calling his name desperately, and the Ordonian stirred feebly and gave a pained groan. 

The Captain pushed hard against the wound with both hands, trying to stem the flow of blood as Twilight gasped wetly for breath, his lips red from the blood in his throat and mouth. The Champion was frantically going through his slate, looking for healing items. 

"Hold on, Twi, I have a fairy. You'll be fine," Wild said, his voice shaking. Out of the corner of his eye, the Captain saw the Champion sit slightly back on his heels as a pink fairy fluttered above Twilight.

_"Wars, watch out!"_

The Soldier had no time to think, but he _couldn't_ move if it meant leaving his friend exposed. He did the only thing he had time for, he put his hands on the wall on either side of Twilight's head and braced for the blow he knew was coming.

He felt a sharp shove on the shield still on his back, so hard he couldn’t keep his hold on the wall. His hands slipped and his elbows collided painfully against the stone. The hit had completely winded him, and he struggled to breathe again as he checked on his friend. He had managed to shield Twilight from the blow, and the fairy had done what she could. The Ordonian’s eyes were clenched, a pained grimace on his face, but his breath was coming easier now, still in short laboured gasps but with no wet gurgling.

Warriors turned his head to find Wild behind him, rusty sword and shield out, covering them from more hits. Beyond the Champion, Legend and Time were still attempting to take down that nightmarish creature.

***

Legend was always fueled by rage and spite, it was nothing new for him to let his negative emotions take the lead during a fight. His adrenaline made him hit harder, get up faster, endure longer, even though he knew it made him get careless sometimes. He got told often, especially by Soldier Boy, of course, that he should focus more, be more collected in combat, but he couldn't help it. If shit was going down, he couldn't help getting angry, and this worked even better ever since he had started getting closer to these weird other versions of himself (against his better judgement). A huge monster trying to kill his friend? He was ready to tear it to pieces.

But no matter how angry he got, the Veteran was always _in control_ during a fight, which made it even stranger to see one of his companions, one of the ones who normally kept his cool in all situations, obviously _lose it_ and let rage dictate his actions. Legend hardly managed to even take a swipe at the monster with the way Time was fighting, swinging that huge sword of his as if possessed, hardly bothering to dodge and relying far too much on his armour. If he was even feeling the hits he was taking. Legend had never seen the Old man fight like this, though he had come close once, when Wild, Wind and Hyrule had all been injured by a single, rampaging moblin. Time's rage on that occasion had been a sight to behold.

This? This was even worse. The Old man was so much on the offensive he was swinging his heavy sword too wide, leaving his balance way off at the end of each strike and forcing him to compensate. 

Legend didn't know if the monster caught on to that or was just lucky, but a barrage of jabs by two separate appendages at the wrong moment managed to push Time to the ground, a spike pinning him down against the stone. The veteran's blood ran cold as he jumped forward, using his sword to block another hit aimed at the Old man's head. He wanted nothing more than to check on Time's wounds, but he knew he had to deal with the more immediate threat first. He wouldn't let this _thing_ touch one of his friends again.

For all that he had just seen the Old man make the same mistake, Legend found himself off balance as another appendage shot out towards him. Forgetting his other hand was holding a lantern and not a shield, he raised his arm on reflex and shone light straight into the monster's eye.

_Well, fuck._

The veteran didn't have time to berate his own stupidity, before a shrill ear-splitting shriek filled the chamber and the hairy body of the monster fell on it's back, the arms curling protectively around the bulbous eye, leaving the pale and slimy abdomen exposed. Legend wouldn't have been alive if he hadn't been fast to take an opening when he saw one, so he leaped, sword ready, hacking at the monster with all he had. All too soon, the creature rolled over and got back on its feet, now bleeding green slime from the wounds the Veteran had inflicted.

"The light!" Time gasped as he struggled to stand. "Blind it with the light again!"

Legend didn't need to be told twice. He blasted the full force of his lantern right into the gruesome red eye, and once again the monster fell over, its pained screech reverberating on the chamber walls. The Old man was there to help, this time, and the two heroes plunged their swords in the creature's underbelly, until it finally exploded in a puff of black dust.


End file.
